tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.comments2020-06-05T18:52:04.503-04:00The Gardening MeMargarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comBlogger6302125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-60419109617568825562020-06-05T18:52:04.503-04:002020-06-05T18:52:04.503-04:00At least we don’t have skunks to contend with. We ...At least we don’t have skunks to contend with. We were preparing our allotment greenhouse today for tomato planting as over winter it doubles as a shed!Sue Garretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164518448098182276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-53839242734797442572020-06-05T16:20:40.726-04:002020-06-05T16:20:40.726-04:00I wouldn&#39;t have expected that behavior from a ...I wouldn&#39;t have expected that behavior from a skunk but then I tend to blame most garden travesties on the local raccoons, or more recently on the gopher. Pests of all kinds are frustrating - I hope the worm castings work. Thanks for the introduction to Claytonia.Kris Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07097260283693156795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-46882972165064050052020-06-05T05:47:00.622-04:002020-06-05T05:47:00.622-04:00Oh no, another blooming pest! I know how much you ...Oh no, another blooming pest! I know how much you look forward to your asparagus, planting up the beds are a long term investment so it&#39;s galling to find that asparagus beetles have got to the crop first. I&#39;m glad they haven&#39;t affected all the beds, that would have been even worse. My tomatoes aren&#39;t in their final positions yet. I&#39;ve only got four plants this year and they&#39;ll be grown in grow bags or containers, but I was later than usual sowing them and they&#39;ve been transplanted an extra time this year too to make larger plants than they usually are when I plant up for the final time. Saying that, the plants look especially healthy this year, I just hope that they&#39;re not too far behind to catch up and provide as good a harvest as usual.Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17436932004631816039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-39445030305978882112020-05-28T16:42:12.087-04:002020-05-28T16:42:12.087-04:00Several of these packets were from the GBF - feels...Several of these packets were from the GBF - feels good to finally use them!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-63880736189620153972020-05-28T16:41:49.513-04:002020-05-28T16:41:49.513-04:00Oh no....those dang critters! I had a bit of digg...Oh no....those dang critters! I had a bit of digging in my beds right at the beginning too - in fact I found one of the herb bombs on top of the bed, &quot;exploded&quot; at the hands of, most likely, a squirrel. I reburied what was left of it and then covered the beds with Agribon. This type of issue usually only happens when the beds are empty so I&#39;ll be able to remove it once I see signs of life &amp; fingers crossed (for both of us) that they will leave things alone.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-71415860079633829292020-05-28T15:02:54.401-04:002020-05-28T15:02:54.401-04:00I applaud your determination to go from storing al...I applaud your determination to go from storing all kinds of garden stuff to actually using it. I&#39;ve tried to do the same with a bunch of the freebies leftover from old Garden Blogger Flings, many of which just sat on a shelf for years. Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00671760671850555664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-50964109361881799122020-05-27T21:32:54.630-04:002020-05-27T21:32:54.630-04:00This is such a great idea, Margaret! I&#39;ve used...This is such a great idea, Margaret! I&#39;ve used a few more seeds this year, too, and like you I tend to &quot;collect&quot; too many packets and never use them. It&#39;s fun to try--even those that are potentially a little too old. I&#39;m having to use critter-discouraging grids, though, because the chipmunks and squirrels are really bad this year! They&#39;re digging through lava rock to get into the soil in my pots. I&#39;m starting to wonder if they&#39;re going for the tulip bulbs, because that&#39;s the only new thing in my pots this year. Good luck! Keep us posted!Beth at PlantPostingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10473637655960119672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-50396518290530570682020-05-23T15:18:53.976-04:002020-05-23T15:18:53.976-04:00True, esp. when it comes to veg where you want a v...True, esp. when it comes to veg where you want a variety of different ones instead of a whole bed with a single variety, like tomatoes.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-81485980268980796982020-05-23T15:17:54.344-04:002020-05-23T15:17:54.344-04:00Another great idea! I do hate throwing things out...Another great idea! I do hate throwing things out that could have been put to good use.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-18374158052772066492020-05-23T15:16:38.994-04:002020-05-23T15:16:38.994-04:00I have wanted a &quot;holding&quot; bed for a whil...I have wanted a &quot;holding&quot; bed for a while now and since I&#39;ll be cutting down on what I&#39;m growing for the next little while, I figured why not make use of a couple of the beds in this way. I have a feeling I&#39;ll end up with one of these beds as a permanent part of the garden.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-4608561624661269232020-05-23T15:13:36.592-04:002020-05-23T15:13:36.592-04:00I&#39;m trying hard to only buy what I intend to u...I&#39;m trying hard to only buy what I intend to use right away - getting better at it, but not at 100% yet.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-31369895138844390682020-05-23T07:36:29.744-04:002020-05-23T07:36:29.744-04:00It would help if some packets had fewer seeds. Som...It would help if some packets had fewer seeds. Some can never be used up in what amounts to a reasonable time frame.Sue Garretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164518448098182276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-36947530796391923672020-05-22T08:49:15.040-04:002020-05-22T08:49:15.040-04:00It sounds like an interesting experiment! I&#39;ve...It sounds like an interesting experiment! I&#39;ve been using some of my older brassica seeds as microgreens. Even if the germination rate is terrible, the ones that do come up go ahead and make something edible. And I&#39;m not throwing them on the compost pile!<br />Dave @ HappyAcreshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03441364543023807886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-1405814650488183302020-05-22T06:31:34.401-04:002020-05-22T06:31:34.401-04:00I need to follow your lead! I have so many seeds t...I need to follow your lead! I have so many seeds that need planting. I keep waiting for the perfect spot. Seriously I have purchased plants that I have seeds for. Such a great idea to plant them out in a bed. Sometimes seed mixes have plants that I may not want in the garden so I can easily edit them out in the bed and replant others. Thanks for the great tip!Karin / Southern Meadowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06514989784715204223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-44640777808623532612020-05-22T05:25:42.712-04:002020-05-22T05:25:42.712-04:00It&#39;ll be exciting seeing what comes up, and th...It&#39;ll be exciting seeing what comes up, and the bees will love you for it. I&#39;m just the same, I tend to hang onto things for a while before using them, just because I want to enjoy them longer I think, but then things go out of date or we forget about them. I&#39;m trying to change my ways a little.Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17436932004631816039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-91106355962713152312020-05-22T00:16:18.003-04:002020-05-22T00:16:18.003-04:00Most of the flower seeds I&#39;ve grown in the pas...Most of the flower seeds I&#39;ve grown in the past have a fairly long shelf life. In fact, several varieties of zinnia I grew from seed this year were also from 2017 and the germination rate was really good - 80-100%. I think you have a good chance of getting a bumper crop of blooms from your sowing. It&#39;s too bad that more people don&#39;t grow from seed - they don&#39;t know what they are missing (both in satisfaction and tangible rewards!)Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-9066960414206674992020-05-21T22:31:09.861-04:002020-05-21T22:31:09.861-04:00I can sympathize with the impact of cleaning out p...I can sympathize with the impact of cleaning out parents&#39; homes. Great strategy in using those &quot;expired&quot; seeds. I too have seed packets I&#39;ve never found a use for, some purchased, others received as giveaways or such. I just sowed 2 packets of zinnia seeds I received as gifts with purchase in 2017 in one area, I sowed them more closely than I usually would on the assumption that the rate of germination may be low. I&#39;m tempted to include other seed packets with some succulent cuttings as free offerings to neighbors. They probably won&#39;t be as well-received as the citrus fruit I&#39;ve given away during our lockdown but some people might be interested. Kris Petersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07097260283693156795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-58154624411319357492020-05-18T14:27:21.826-04:002020-05-18T14:27:21.826-04:00Hi Karin! I&#39;m thoroughly enjoying rediscoverin...Hi Karin! I&#39;m thoroughly enjoying rediscovering my cookbooks - the last time I made this many new-to-me recipes, the kids weren&#39;t even born yet. I&#39;m hoping to get some plants this coming week, once this latest bout of cold, wet weather subsides.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-35092748157361587992020-05-18T08:37:39.260-04:002020-05-18T08:37:39.260-04:00Welcome back Margaret! Glad you and your family ar...Welcome back Margaret! Glad you and your family are well. Your garden looks great! I have been trying to find the good in this crazy time. The increased interest in gardening and home cooking is a definite positive. The weather has been cooler here and I have been gardening like a mad women. It is such a stress reliever. I am thankful that our garden nurseries have been open here as they are considered essential. So lots of plant shopping still happening. Karin / Southern Meadowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06514989784715204223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-436212022605879942020-05-15T15:22:09.009-04:002020-05-15T15:22:09.009-04:00The Iris is a favourite so far. I planted a lot o...The Iris is a favourite so far. I planted a lot of summer flowering bulbs too - can&#39;t wait to see those comes up :)Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-36275320659429778402020-05-15T13:06:09.513-04:002020-05-15T13:06:09.513-04:00Hi Margaret! It has surely been the strangest spri...Hi Margaret! It has surely been the strangest spring of my lifetime, and everybody else&#39;s, apparently. However, the weather will surely warm eventually. And in the meantime, you&#39;re getting lots of beautiful blooms from your bulbs. I love that Iris reticulata! Take care. Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00671760671850555664noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-53597347134908987982020-05-13T21:16:02.950-04:002020-05-13T21:16:02.950-04:00:):)Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-44698291752875368322020-05-13T03:22:43.292-04:002020-05-13T03:22:43.292-04:00So fresh and lovely!So fresh and lovely!Endah Murniyatihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16175364514530314348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-22471591595381397442020-05-12T14:08:57.430-04:002020-05-12T14:08:57.430-04:00Thank you :)Thank you :)Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-82618995269364353072020-05-12T10:15:35.698-04:002020-05-12T10:15:35.698-04:00What a strange spring on so many fronts. Your bloo...What a strange spring on so many fronts. Your blooms are gorgeous!Mistihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15152831329347482311noreply@blogger.com